This invention relates to a golf ball retriever, and more particularly to a golf ball retriever having an extensible handle which when retracted allows a golfer to carry the retriever in his golf bag together with his clubs and which may be extended a considerable distance to permit the golfer to readily retrieve golf balls lost in water hazards or other difficult to reach places.
Devices for picking up golf balls have long been known. These devices have not met with any significant degree of commercial acceptance on account of any number of reasons. Certain of the prior art golf ball retrievers had fixed handles and thus, if they had any reach at all, were cumbersome to carry by the golf player. Other golf ball retrievers included movable latches or clasps which were expensive to manufacture and could become clogged with mud and other debris in picking up golf balls thus interfering with their operation. Still other retrievers require that the retriever be precisely placed on the ball and that the ball be on a relatively hard surface so that the retriever could be forcefully pushed onto the ball. Of course, in many instances such as at the bottom of a water hazard, a suitable hard surface was not available for satisfactory operation of these devices. Still further, other golf ball retrievers had intricately formed fingers which resiliently gripped the ball. These fingers were difficult and expensive to manufacture and could easily be bent during use of the retriever interfering with their operation. In addition, the golf ball engaging end of the prior art devices are considerably larger than the diameter of a golf ball, making their use impossible, as for example, when retrieval is attempted through a conventional chain link fence.
Reference may be made to such U.S. patents as U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,658,145, 3,462,184, 3,770,308, 4,046,413 and 4,073,529 which disclose various prior art golf ball retrieving devices in the same general field as the present invention.
The retriever described hereinafter overcomes the prior art deficiencies by providing a retriever construction sized to closely approximate the diameter of a golf ball. The free end of the ball engaging loops is slightly less than the ball diameter while the attached ends of the loops is slightly larger. This construction provides a spring force on the ball being retrieved such as to force the ball into the device as the loop ends pass the maximum ball dimension.
One of the objects of this invention is to provide a golf ball retriever which is light weight and of compact size and which has a telescopically extendible handle, thereby making it relatively easy for a golfer to carry in his golf bag.
Another object of this invention is to provide a golf ball retriever which may pick up a golf ball from any direction;
Another object of this invention is to provide a golf ball retriever which is self-centering on the golf ball.
Another object of this invention is to provide a golf ball retriever which requires a low force to grip a golf ball.
Another object of this invention is to provide a golf ball retriever in which the retrieving head may be rotated to any desired angle relative to the handle of the retriever.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a golf ball retriever which is relatively easy and economical to manufacture and which can be sold to the golfer at an affordable price.
Another object of the invention is to provide a golf ball retriever which, upon engagement with the ball, will hold the ball securely to permit washing or cleaning the ball.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a golf ball retriever which permits easy removal of the ball from the retriever.
Another object of this invention is to provide a golf ball retriever construction which automatically exerts a spring force on the ball during ball capture.
Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the following description and accompanying drawings.